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Things you need to know if your flight is delayed, cancelled or the airline shuts down

Lynn Mitges

Published: April 23, 2019 - 10:00 AM

Updated: May 3, 2019 - 10:51 AM

It happens a lot. Flights are delayed, cancelled or — as with the recent closure of Wow Air earlier in April — airline carriers just cease to exist. Here are a few tips from Canada’s FlightCentre.ca to help if this happens to you.

Be informed

If your flight is cancelled, typically the airline will schedule you on the next flight to your destination if there is a seat for you, which is often the case if you are in a busy airport with numerous daily flights to your destination. Always confirm your flight before heading to the airport.

Call your travel agent

If you’ve booked your entire trip through an online booking agency, it may prove difficult to get someone on the phone to help you. But if you’ve booked with a full-service travel agency, they likely have 24/7 service and direct access to airline carriers to get another flight and get you on your way. And, airline carriers prefer to deal with a travel agent rather than an irate passenger who is stranded — even if you do reach someone at the airline by phone.

Know your options

There may be an opportunity for your carrier to sign over your ticket to another carrier to get on another flight, something that was routinely done before Internet bookings. But you’ll have to check with the carrier and most often if this is approved, the carrier will typically only sign over the fare to another partner carrier.

Check your insurance

Cancellation and interruption of service only covers you if the circumstances are beyond your control. For example, if you just miss your flight because you don’t hear the last call for boarding, you will not be covered. If the flight is cancelled and you’re stuck overnight, you’ll be responsible to get your own hotel room: the airline won’t pay for it.

Act quickly

The airline will automatically re-book you on the next flight that has room but this may not be the fastest option, particularly if you have a connecting flight elsewhere. The most direct flights and busiest hubs will be the least likely to have open seats. And if you have a connecting flight, you’d best let the carrier know as soon as possible so you don’t lose that connecting flight.

Be proactive

If the next flight isn’t already overbooked, you may receive a certain level of priority for the next departure time. If you’ve already checked in for your flight, the airline will have full control over your reservation, whether you’ve booked through a travel agency or the airline directly. If you aren’t able to get a seat on the next scheduled flight, visit the service counter as you may be able to rebook the flight.

[Photo by Nicolas Jehly on Unsplash]

Wow Air is just the latest of carriers that has ceased to operate. Some of the most notable examples:

Canadian Airlines

This airline — the country’s second largest that operated in 105 Canadian destinations — operated from 1987 until 2001 when it was acquired by Air Canada, which completed the merger in January 2001. Canadian was the first airline in the world to have a website — http://www.cdnair.ca — which launched in 1994.

Air Berlin

After the German reunification, this carrier expanded quickly from in order to take advantage of the new Brandenburg Airport, which was to open in 2011. The airline’s last flight was in 2011 — and the Brandenburg Airport is still under construction and is scheduled to open in 2020.

Pan Am

Pan American World Airways started with trips from Florida to Cuba in 1927, but oil prices, hijackings and attacks in took their toll. Delta Airlines paid $1.39 billion to take over Pan Am’s assets in 1991 and honoured passengers’ tickets as well.

Ted

United created its Ted airline in an effort to take advantage of low-cost travel in the 2000s. By 2009 Ted was absorbed by United.

Virgin America

The airline was marketed with flashy advertising campaigns as part owner Richard Branson made Virgin a household word. Alaska Airlines purchased the airline, whose last flight was in April 2018.